Spatchcock BBQ Chicken

SPATCHCOCK! No, that’s not a dirty word or an insult or anything along those lines, this isn’t that type of blog.  Spatchcock is simply the term used to describe a chicken, turkey, or any other type of whole bird that has been split along the spine (removing the spine) to allow it to open up and lie flat.

I love whole chickens. Whole chickens give you the ability to prepare both white and dark meat at the same time while the bone and skin give the meat a huge boost in flavour.

The idea behind spatchcocking a chicken is it allows you to cook the chicken fully on the bone as you would with a whole chicken but much faster. The body cavity (where we usually jam stuffing) insulates the bird during cooking.  This insulation slows down the cooking process and also makes the bird cook unevenly.  Spatchcocking removes this cavity.   Birds are weirdly shaped with big pieces of meat intertwined with much smaller pieces.  This process helps the breast and dark meat sections to cook at relatively the same pace.

To start, you are going to need a whole chicken, a very sharp knife or kitchen scissors and a cutting board.  Safety tip; use sharp knives!  People are afraid of sharp knives as they think they are going to lop off a finger or an entire appendage.  If you are careful, a sharp knife is actually safer than a dull knife.  Dull knives force you to push harder than needed, which increases the chance of the knife slipping and cutting you.  If your cutting board has a tendency to slide around while cutting with it try putting a slightly damp kitchen towel underneath it.  This should stop the sliding.

Place the bird so the spine is resting on your cutting board.  Either with your knife or your scissors cut up either side of the spine and remove. **Please note that the chicken in the picture above is actually the wrong way up.  Please do not attempt to cut it in this manner unless you are using scissors.**

Note: in the above picture the spine is still attached on the left side.

Now that the spine is gone take both hands and push down firmly on both breasts at the same time.  You will probably feel and hear some snapping as this will break some of the rib bones and allow the chicken to lay as flat as possible.

Season the chicken liberally on both sides with your favourite BBQ Seasoning.  I like to do this the day before I cook the bird or at least a few hours ahead.  This allows the spice blend to really penetrate the meat.

To cook, preheat one side of your BBQ to medium heat but leave the other side off. If using charcoal, have one side of the grill with a bed of coals that have fully lit and are fully grey, then wait 10 minutes, no charcoal at all on the other side.  Cook skin side up for 10 minutes with the lid closed.  Flip and then cook for another 10 minutes skin side down with the lid closed.  Now, place the chicken on the cold side of the BBQ and cook for another approximately 20 minutes with the lid closed or until the breast meat is at 165 degrees.

Enjoy!

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 1 Hour
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• BBQ Spice
• Kitchen Scissors or a sharp knife

Directions

• Use kitchen scissors or knife to remove the spine by cutting up either side.
• Place both hands on the breasts and push down flattening the bird.
• Season liberally on both sides with BBQ Spice
• Place in a ziplock bag and allow to sit for up to 24 hours
• Preheat one side of your grill to medium heat and leave the other side off
• Place the chicken skin side up directly over the heat and cook for 5-10 minutes with the lid closed.
• Turn chicken over and cook skin side down for another 5-10 minutes with the lid closed.
• Move chicken to the indirect side of grill and cook for another approximately 20 minutes with the lid closed or until the chicken is 165 degrees in the breast meat.
• Cut chicken into individual pieces (breast, thigh, drum, wing) and serve.

 

 

Cooking With Will

WARNING: INCOMING CHILD BRAG POST!!

I guess you could say that the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree.  A chip off the old block. My own little mini – me. All those corny sayings that imply that a child has taken on, or was born with a passion and love for something the parent has a passion or skill for. This would be the case for me with my youngest boy William.

Will has always had a love for food.  He loves to eat and will try anything you put in front of him at least once.  Anytime he can help in the kitchen, he runs for his apron and dives right in.

He will also sit down with me and watch the Food Network, good thing since it’s on the TV in my house basically non-stop.  His favourite show is Food Factory.  He loves watching how things are made.  He went through a phase about a year ago where we were having to DVR Food Network for him.  This probably explains what happened next.

The family was in the kitchen together and we decided to set out some fruits, yogurt, juices etc. and create a make-your-own smoothie bar.  We let the kids pick what they wanted in the smoothies and experiment.  William started verbalizing all of his decisions and steps.  He was explaining why he wanted each item and how many to use.  He was basically putting on a cooking show at this point, so, we encouraged him to keep talking, we taped it and we put it on YouTube.  Voila, Cooking With Will was born.

He was so blown away with seeing himself on YouTube he immediately had to make a second video that same day.He caught the bug and we’ve been making videos ever since.  He has shown the videos to family, friends, classmates, teachers and pretty much anyone who will watch.  I’m more than happy to be his camera man and post production crew and sit back and watch him be the star.

Will picks the dishes he wants to make and when he wants to make the videos, hence the gaps sometimes in the releases.  So far there hasn’t been a BBQ episode, but I’m sure it’s in the works if I can convince him!

As a Dad who loves to cook and BBQ it’s amazing to see my kid take such an interest in something his Old Man is into.

Here are his Episodes if you want to check them out.

Cooking With Will – Click the Titles Below to Watch!

• Episode 1 – It Ain’t Easy Being Smoothie!
• Episode 2 – A-peel-ing Banana Bread
• Episode 3 – Betchawanna Pizza This!
• Episode IV – May the 4th Be With You (Fruit Lightsabers)
• Episode 5 – Jello? Jello? Is anybody there?
• Episode 6 – Time to pump, you up! Pumpkin Pie

The most amazing part of all of this is watching how much he is learning doing these videos.  In just 6 episodes he already remembers the names of most ingredients he has seen before and knows most by sight.  He understands when to ask for help and when he can try something out on his own.  And most important to me, he is developing a love and appreciation of all types of food.

Watch out Bobby Flay, here comes the next Food Network Star!

M.D.

 

If you like what you see please hit the follow button to receive notifications when new content is available!

Whole Hog

Whole Hog…The mother of all BBQ feats. The task that makes even the most confident backyard warrior think twice.  I decided it was time. I decided I was ready.  The results were better than I hoped for.

First, let me start by thanking some people.  These people were a big help with the cooking of this pig.  They helped me wrangle the pig, get the pig in the racks, move the grates and pans around, pull the pig apart once it was cooked and of course, taste test it once it was done.  A big thanks to Casey, Joel, Uncle Mark, Chad, Shane, Matt, Amy, Jill, Sarah, Carissa and everyone that was on hand to help put the rest of the shindig together.

As I posted earlier on this blog I was aiming to get my hands on a La Caja China Roasting Box…well, I got one.

I went with Model #2.  It is the bigger box and can handle larger pigs.  Go big or go home, right?

I ordered the pig from Kohns in London.  I asked for a 50lb pig, dressed weight, butterflied open.  “Dressed Weight” simply means all the guts and nasty bits are removed and you have a clean carcass.  “Butterflied” means they split the backbone for me so that the pig will lay flat.  When I arrived to pick up the pig it was 52lbs and they split it perfectly for me while I was there.  I highly recommend you become friends with your butcher.  I highly recommend Kohns.  Always great service and quality.

My buddy Casey was with me when we picked it up.  We put it in a big cooler with some blocks of ice to keep it cool.

The day before I had prepared the injection I was planning to use and the dry rub for the pig.  Because this was my first attempt and because of the hours and hours of videos I watched on Youtube regarding cooking a pig I decided to stick to a tried and true approach.  I used the injection and rub suggested by La Caja China, the makers of the box.  It is a traditional Cuban Mojo Criollo Injection and an Adobo Seasoning mix.  Both credited to Roberto Guerra of La Caja China.  I didn’t change a thing.

Mojo Criollo

Ingredients

• 3 heads garlic, peeled
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed sour orange juice (or 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice mixed with 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice)
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground bay leaves

Directions

1. Place garlic, peppercorns, and salt in a large mortar and grind with a pestle to form a paste. Stir in sour orange and pineapple juice. Add oregano, cumin, and bay leaves; stir to combine. Let stand at least 1 hour before using.

Adobo Seasoning

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coarse salt
• 1/2 cup garlic powder
• 1/4 cup onion powder
• 1/4 cup ground oregano
• 4 teaspoons ground bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Mix together all ingredients in an airtight container; cover and let stand at least 12 hours before using.

The day before we planned to cook the pig I injected the pig all over but focused on the hams (back legs), shoulders (front legs), loin (attached to the ribs) and the belly meat (the..well…belly of course).

It’s worth noting that I strained the injection before I used it so any large chunks wouldn’t plug up the needle on the injector.

After injecting the pig I coated both the skin side and the open side with the seasoning blend.

It was back into the cooler at this point for the night for the injection and spice blend to do their work.

The next morning the pig was brought out about an hour before we planned to cook it to come to room temperature as suggested in the cooking instructions for the pig.  Notice in the picture below the difference in colour of the meat.  The seasoning and injection did it’s job.

The pig was then put into the racks that came with the roasting box and closed using the “S” hooks provided.  Here is a tip for you; this is not a 1 person job.  It took 3 of us to get the hooks in place.  Two people pressing down on the side of the rack and one person placing the hooks.

Once we FINALLY had the pig in the racks it was time to enter the roasting box.

You will notice there are some wires coming out of the pig.  We attached a couple meat probes in the pig to monitor the progress as it cooked.  Next time I won’t bother.  If anything, all the probes did was add stress where none was needed.  The directions they give you right on the side of the box are all you need.  I followed them exactly and am glad I did.

We used the instructions for a 51 to 100lbs. pig.  We did this because you will notice that the pig weights on the box are based on “Live Weight” not “dressed”.  Live weight is the total weight of the pig before any cleaning or butchery is done.  Because our pig was 52lbs dressed, it was easily 60-70lbs live weight.

Once the pig is in the box, place the top charcoal grate and ash pan to seal the box.  We started with the recommended 18lbs of charcoal, placed in two piles to light.  Here is the hardest part of the cook.  You can NOT lift that lid.  For no reason.  Not even for a second for a quick peak.  JUST DON’T DO IT!

We doused in lighter fluid and let them burn until almost all of the coals were turning grey, meaning they were on fire and burning.  This took about 20 minutes.  I then spread the coals out evenly over the top of the box and began my timer.

The instruction on the side of the box calls for adding fresh charcoal every hour.  Based on the weight of our pig I added 10lbs of charcoal after 1 hour and then another 10lbs after the second hour.

You do not need to worry about starting the charcoal in a chimney or anything like that.  The already lit coals will ignite the fresh coals.  Make sure you follow the amounts on the side of the box and spread it out evenly when you add it.

The next step was to add 12 lbs of charcoal 30 minutes after the second 10lbs of charcoal was added.

30 minutes after the 12lbs were added it is time to finally see what the pig looks like.  The instructions call for you to remove the ash from the ash collection pan.  This will remove all the ash which is actually reducing the amount of heat the pig could receive.  By removing this ash we will get a very high temperature in the box which we need at this point.  We will be turning the pig over to crisp the skin.  High heat is definitely needed for this.

Lift the charcoal grate and shake to remove the ash.

Place the charcoal grate on the handles, remove the ash pan and dump it out.

Here is a tip we learned.  Make sure that when you shake the charcoal pan that you do it gently and try to keep things that can light on fire away from the box.

Now, the moment you were waiting for.  Your first peak into the box.

As you can see, the pig is nicely roasted on this side at this point.  There are areas that look dark on this picture, they weren’t burnt.  They were actually nice and crispy and tasted great.

Time to flip the pig.  Grab the rack at one end and lift.  Let the bottom slide to the opposite side of the box from where it originally was placed then lower the top end back down. This can easily be done with one person.

As you can see from the picture below, the skin side is seriously missing some colour.

Take a knife and score the skin in an “X” pattern in each of the rectangles created by the rack.  Be careful to not cut too deeply.  We just want to score the skin, not the meat.

We decided to try 2 beer can chickens in the box at this point just for fun.  They turned out awesome.

Put the ash pan back on the box and put the charcoal grate back in place.  It should take between 30-45 minutes to crisp the skin.  Check the skin after 30 minutes.  If it is not done to your liking, cook for another 15 minutes.

Here is what our pig looked like.

Take the pig out of the cooker, remove it from the rack and let rest for about 30 minutes.

You will need a heat resistant pair of gloves for the next part.  Separate the pig and pull the meat from the carcass and serve.  The meat will be so tender you will not need any type of knives or tools for this.  The only thing I used was a cleaver to make cutting up the crispy skin easier.  The skin was awesome.  Glass shatteringly crispy and tasty.

Start to finish the pig took 4 hours and 45 minutes. It was relatively easy to do and everyone loved the pig.  I would change absolutely nothing.

Serve with some nice salads, buns to make sandwiches, mustard and sauces and enjoy!

MD

Chicken Drumsticks

Chicken Drumsticks is one of my youngest boy’s favourite items out of the smoker. He asks for them from time to time and of course his Dad takes any chance he can get to play around on the smoker.

I use a simple rub of black pepper and seasoned salt on them.

Get the smoker running at 275 degrees and add a couple chunks of wood. I used hickory.

Place the chicken in the smoker.

Cook the chicken until it reaches about 180 degrees internal temperature. This will usually take about 45 minutes with medium size drumsticks. Once we reach 180 degrees we need to deal with the skin.

One of the issues with cooking skin-on chicken in a smoker is the texture. If you don’t cook it right it turns into rubber and is not pleasant to eat. So, at 180 degrees I will remove the water pan and wood tray from the smoker so the chicken receives direct heat. I also crank the temp up to full blast. This is a huge benefit of a gas smoker as this process is easy and fast. You could do the same with charcoal by removing the water pan in your smoker and opening up the air vents to get a higher temperature it will just take longer for the coals to get to full whack.

Cook the chicken at high temp for about 10 minutes, turning the chicken often. You will see the skin brown up nicely. You won’t get crispy skin but you will get bite through skin that tastes great.

At this point you can add sauce if you like or just serve as is. I personally like it with no sauce.

One thing to be prepared for however is pink meat. Smoke turns meat pink, there is no way to avoid it.  Whenever people see pink chicken they get nervous. You didn’t screw it up. This is why we use a meat probe. If you hit 180 degrees and then blasted it for 10 minutes over high heat it will be cooked. I promise.

Serve and enjoy!

MD

Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork is a great BBQ meal. It’s easy to do, is relatively cheap and tastes great. The popularity of pulled pork has sky rocketed in Ontario in the last few years. You can find a version of it in tons of restaurants now and lots of people making it in their crockpots or ovens. I always make mine in my smoker. The smoke makes it for me.  The only drawback to pulled pork (if there is one) is that it is a time commitment with the cook lasting usually 12-16 hours.

The traditional cut of meat you use for pulled pork is called a “Boston Butt” which is taken from the shoulder of the pig.  I order mine from Kohns in London. Never been disappointed in the quality. When you unwrap it you will notice a lot of fat on one side of the pork. This is called a “fat cap” and we want to keep it on. The only fat I would trim is any hard fat. If it feels soft leave it. This will help with moisture and flavour during the cook.

You will need a dry rub,  sauce and if you choose to do it, an injection. Injections are a great way of putting flavour way down deep in a large cut of meat. You can use anything you like in an injection. A good one for pork is to mix some pineapple juice with some soy sauce and hot sauce. 3 parts juice, 1 part soy and as much hot sauce as you like.
I didn’t use an injection on this pork but I do from time to time.

Start by injecting your pork and dry rubbing it about 6-12 hours prior to the cook. Put in the refrigerator and let get happy.

Fire up your smoker to 230 degrees. I used my Masterbuilt for this. Add wood to the fire (I used hickory) and wait for the first signs of smoke. I use wood chunks as they smoke longer. Start with 3 good chunks.

Put the pork in the smoker fat side up.

You can see in the above picture that I have a meat probe in the pork. This allows me to monitor the progress of the pork during the cook.
Keep adding wood as smoke dies out until the pork hits 140 ish. At this point the amount of smoke flavour the pork will take in will be miniscule so I don’t bother wasting the wood chunks.

The magic number I personally look for is 193 degrees internal temperature. This could take anywhere from 12 hours plus. It depends on the size of your pork. They are usually around 8-10 pounds.

One thing to be prepared for. At about 145-165 degrees the temperature of the meat is going to stop climbing and sit there for what feels like forever. This can even be hours. What is happening is at this temperature range the internal fats and connective tissues begin to melt and break down. Once this process is finished the temperature will start to move again. Trust the process. Don’t crank the temp. Just look away or go do something else while this happens. Staring at the meat thermometer won’t make it move, trust me, I’ve tried.

At 193 degrees you want to remove from the smoker. Should look sorta like this.

If it’s darker than this, that is normal. In fact I was a little disappointed this one wasn’t darker actually.  It’s not burnt. It’s called “bark” and is some of the tastiest parts.

Here is an easy way to tell if it’s done properly if you don’t have a meat thermometer. There is a large bone in these roasts. You should be able to grab the bone and just pull it out with almost no resistance. If it comes out easily and clean you are where you want to be. If it won’t come out put it back in the smoker.

See the bone?

Break apart into large chunks and let sit a few minutes. It’s 9000 degrees right now.

Pull the pork by hand. Discard any chunks of hard fat or any connective tissue you find. Keep in mind however that you do want most of the fat to stay. It’s good!

I always add a bit more dry rub into my pulled pork and my sauce and mix well.

The pink is not undercooked meat. That is what the smoke does to the meat. It’s called a “smoke ring” .

Serve with coleslaw and buns to make awesome sandwiches!

Enjoy!

BBQ Spice Rub

A good spice rub can be a beautiful thing.  It can compliment meat, bring out flavours in sauce and also be a factor in the texture of the meat as well.

You know those nice crispy dark bits around the outside of a piece of meat? The pieces that taste so good?  You can probably thanks a spice rub for that.  Often times this lovely crust in the BBQ world is referred to as “bark” and is a crucial component in the competitive BBQ world.

Just like BBQ Sauces there are literally unlimited combinations you could put together to create a rub.  Head to your closest bulk barn or grocery store, head over to the spice section, close your eyes, spin in a circle and randomly point at 4 or 5 things and you just invented a new rub.  It really can be that simple.

There are a few basics to spice rubs we need to consider; mainly the type of meat we plan to use the rub on.  Chicken and pork traditionally have sweeter and less salty rubs placed on them.  On the flip side of that the flavour of beef can stand up quite well to a good amount of salt.   Of course there is nothing saying you can’t figure out a good spot right smack in the middle of the salt world so your rub is an all purpose rub good on just about everything.

Let’s take a look at some of the major components of a good rub.

SALTS

There are TONS of salts to choose from on the shelves of grocery stores and speciality shops these days.  Everything from regular table salt to Danish Viking-Smoked Sea Salt.  Think I made that one up? Google it, it’s real.  Here is what you really need to consider when choosing a salt.  How “salty” do you want it and how big do you want the chunks.

Not all salts are created equal.  If you use products like Kosher salt and Sea Salts that are bigger chunks the food usually tastes less salty.  The reason?  They are larger and a inconsistent size so they take up more space than a fine ground table salt.  SO, if you use a tablespoon of Kosher Salt it will have less weight than a tablespoon of table salt.  Check your salt packages, they list sodium per weight usually.  Therefore less weight equals less sodium which is what gives salt it’s “salty” taste.  Did that make sense?  Watching your sodium intake? Use Kosher or large grain Sea Salt.

From a purely texture standpoint there are benefits to having a nice fine ground salt, as well as big chunks of kosher salt.  Finer grains are nicer for rubs that you hope melt into the flesh and disperse throughout the meat it touches. Fine salts also usually produces a nice soft exterior on the meat as salt dissolves fast and doesn’t draw out as much moisture.  Large chunks however will help if you want to actually rub the meat down to help tear the top layer of meat fibres and to build a crust. Larger chunks of salt will dissolve slower because they are bigger and therefore will draw out more moisture.  Drier meat gets crispier.

Here is another big factor, cost.  Remember that Danish Viking business?  $25 for 3 ounces.

SUGARS

What to use? White sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar… Almost as many choices as salts.  Let’s cover the 2 most common.

White sugar has a more up front sweetness.  It will give rubs an almost candy like taste if enough is used.  Because the sugar is also finely ground in most cases it will melt quickly.

Brown sugar has a deeper, richer flavour.  The brown in brown sugar is due to its Molasses content.  Light brown sugar just has less molasses and will give it a milder flavour than the more upfront flavour of full on dark brown sugar.  One downside to brown sugar is the amount of moisture in it.  It has a tendency to clump up in rubs.

Demerara and Turbinado Sugar are often the go to choice in BBQ rubs.  They are dry like a white sugar, have the flavour of brown sugar and are large crystals which gives the benefit of a slower melt which lessens the chance of burning while it cooks.  Sugars like brown sugar and white sugar have a tendency to burn under high heat cooking. The large crystals are also favourable for rubbing meat to help with the tearing of surface fibre, just like kosher salt.

PEPPER

My favourite ingredient in all rubs.  I love pepper.  Black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, chilli pepper, you name it.  The benefit of pepper is that it provides some heat.

Heat helps to wake up your taste buds and enhances the overall flavour of the meat and rub.  Some meats can handle more pepper than others.  Beef loves pepper.  Chicken likes pepper.  Fish and pepper are old school buddies, they like a little of each other but too much would ruin the friendship.  These are not hard and fast rules however.  If you wanna pepper the crap out of your perch fillets go for it.  There are no rules in cooking.  If you like it, do it.

You will usually see ground black pepper called for in BBQ rubs.  You will also usually see a varying amount of cayenne.  I would say these are the 2 most common.  However, white pepper can be nice if you really want to bump up the heat as well.  Use what you like.

BASE FLAVOURS

These spices are what bring all the other parts of the rub together and carry the rub.  These spices are usually fairly mild in flavour so we can use a lot of it.  The big 2 are chilli powder and paprika.  Usually in close quantity to our sugar amount they help to give an underlying base note to our rub.  Chilli powder and paprika are not the only ones you can pick from.  Cumin would be great in a southwest inspired rub. Use your imagination here.

STAR FLAVOURS

These herbs and spices are what makes your rub what you intend it to be.

Usually these spices are used in small amounts as they could be overpowering if used in large quantities.  With these spices you can take your rub anywhere in the world you want to go.  Add some cumin, turmeric, ginger,ground coriander, clove, etc. and you have a curry style rub.  Add cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, thyme and you are in Jamaica with a Jerk inspired rub.  Oregano, basil, parsley, garlic powder, chili flakes and we are in Italy.  I think you get the point.  You can do anything here.  Think about the prominent flavours of the type of food you want to create and add them into your rub.

PAIRING WITH SAUCE

Make sure your rub works with the sauce you intend to use, or, let the rub speak for itself and don’t use a sauce.  Usually I try to use similar spices in my  rub as I did in my sauce.  Nothing goes better with ginger than ginger and there is no reason I couldn’t use it in both the rub and the sauce.  Another option is to figure out what you want the overall flavour to be and have the sauce and rub compliment each other rather than mirror each other.  For example, if I want a sweet and spicy combo, make a sweet sauce and use a spicy rub.  They may not have similar ingredients but will match up and play nice together.

BBQ RUB RECIPE

Here is a recipe for a fairly basic BBQ Rub.  Take this base and play with it.  You can always make up a big batch of the base and each time you make a new BBQ item take out a cup of base rub and jazz it up with different flavours each time.

BBQ RUB

Good on all types of meat.

• 2 cups turbinado sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup chilli powder
• 1/4 cup paprika
• 3 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
• STAR FLAVOURS OF YOUR CHOICE!

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Store in an airtight jar or ziploc bag and keep in a cool, dark location.

Enjoy!

MD

Roasted Potato Caesar Salad

Yup, you read that right… Caesar Salad made with roasted potatoes.

2 words to describe it… Awe Some.

Everything you love about Caesar Salad, combined with everything you love about roasted potatoes.  Here’s another great thing about this recipe; it’s super quick to make and ridiculously easy.

This is another one of our BBQ Sides that I get a lot of requests for.  Give it a shot!

Here is what you are going to need for this recipe:

• 3 lbs. mini potatoes cut in half
• 8 slices of bacon
• 3 green onions (green part only)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (yes, I used the crappy stuff in the shaker, so what!)
• Your favourite Caesar Salad Dressing (as much as you like)
• olive oil (enough to coat the potatoes)
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)

I start by preheating my grill (or oven) to 425 degrees.

Cut the potatoes in half and throw on a baking sheet.

Drizzle with enough oil to coat the potatoes but it shouldn’t be swimming in oil.  Season potatoes liberally with salt and pepper.

Toss in the BBQ and shut the lid (or in the oven) for about 30.  Every 10 minutes you will want to shake the tray and flip the potatoes over.  We want them all to be nice and golden brown on both sides and soft in the middle.  Use a fork to test the doneness, or even better do what I do; EAT ONE!  When you like them, they are done.

Meanwhile, cut up the bacon into small strips. Place in a pan and cook until nice and crispy. Once the bacon is cooked, remove from the pan and set on paper towel to drain.

 

Slice the green onions into small rounds.

Throw all ingredients in a foil tray if going to a party for easy clean up, or in a nice big bowl and mix to combine.  I didn’t put an amount on the dressing.  If you like a lot of dressing use a lot.  If you like a little, take it easy with the dressing.

And voila you are done and ready to sit down with your friends and eat!  Pretty easy right?!

Enjoy!

If you like what you see, please hit that share button and also sign up to follow the blog!

MD

Chicken Breasts

Let’s tackle an easy one.  Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts.

Probably one of the most commonly cooked pieces of meat and probably one of the things I get asked about the most.  Truthfully, not my favourite. I’m a thigh man myself.  I guarantee you that one will be coming soon.

As common as chicken is it gets brutalized fairly often.  I know a few people who will not go near white meat because they complain that it’s always too dry.  Here comes the truth…it’s not the chicken’s fault.

White meat can be plenty juicy and very enjoyable with a couple of simple tips.

First, when buying the chicken try to buy pieces that look to be similar sizes.  If you have one huge piece and 2 tiny pieces, you are either going to have 1 undercooked piece or 2 dry pieces if you cook them for the same amount of time.

Second, dry those babies off.  When you pull them out of the package they will probably be wet.  We want our chicken to be dry(ish) when we start to season them.  This will ensure the chicken gets evenly seasoned and you don’t have your seasoning running off.

 

The seasoning….Now, you can put anything and everything you like on your chicken at this point.  Some things to keep in mind.  If you use any rubs or sauces at this point that have a lot of sugar in them it will probably burn and go black and gross on you before the chicken has a chance to cook.  If you use a rub with a lot of salt, be careful.  It is very easy to make your chicken too salty this way.

Me personally, I use 3 things on my chicken…olive oil, salt and pepper.  That’s it.  Now to be truthful, its not regular table salt I use.  It’s Lawry’s Seasoned Salt.  The salt and pepper are for flavour obviously…but why the oil?  Two reasons.  It will hold the seasoning to that chicken like it’s life depended on it and it will prevent the chicken from sticking to the grill.  I use a very very small amount.  Just a light brushing on both sides before I apply the S&P.

Notice I didn’t go crazy on the seasoning.  Enough that you will know that it’s there but not so much it will overpower the chicken.

Now toss those bad boys on the grill.

 Here’s a little known secret about BBQs…they have more than one setting…That’s right!  Despite common thinking, you do not have to cook everything on High/Max heat.  Shocker, I know.

Notice I have my BBQ at just over Medium heat for the chicken.  Too high and the outside will burn before the middle is cooked.

Here’s another tip.  Shut the lid.  The chicken isn’t going anywhere.  By shutting the lid we create an oven like environment.  This will cook the chicken quicker and more evenly.  The chicken is probably going to take 7-10 minutes a side.  As long as you remembered to put it on medium heat you will be fine.  Now if you want to open the lid and check from time to time no problem.

 Flipping the chicken.  The meat itself will tell you when it is ready to be flipped.  If the chicken is sticking to the grill, shut the lid and check again in a few minutes.  Your chicken only needs to be flipped once.  That’s right, once. Not nine thousand times. Notice on my chicken below nothing stuck and you get nice looking grill marks on the chicken. Also, it’s not too dark.  Thank you Mr. Medium Heat Setting.

 Close the lid again and cook for approximately 7-10 minutes more or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees F internal temperature.  A good meat thermometer will be your best friend and almost mandatory for a lot of things you will cook on a BBQ and definitely in a smoker.  I use a Thermapen.  It was expensive, but worth every penny.

If your chicken is getting too much colour before you reach your desired temperature, move it to the top rack or to a burner that is off and shut the lid.  Let the heat of the burners that are still going turn the BBQ into an oven and finish the cooking that way.

If you wish to use BBQ sauce, now is the time.  Apply the sauce to both sides and let sit on the top rack for 5 minutes to set the sauce.

Now the hard part.  When you take the chicken off let it sit for a good 3-5 minutes before you serve it.  I know this is the hardest thing to do but it is so worth it.  This will allow the juices in the chicken to stay in the chicken.  If you cut it right away you will watch all your hard work literally pour out of the chicken.  We did a lot of work here to keep that chicken juicy, don’t take a shortcut now.

 I don’t know if these pictures capture it properly, but you could literally see how juicy the chicken is at this point.  Also notice it’s cooked all the way through and no pink anywhere in sight.

 Any questions, leave a comment here or get in touch directly and I will help you out.

Enjoy!

MD

Me

Hi, my name is Mike Deman and I am a BBQer.

For the last bunch of years I have been a part of a professional BBQ team (Can’t Stop Grillin’) that travels around North America competing in BBQ contests. Not rib fests mind you, the real deal. Contests where you compete in different categories and submit your offerings to judges in a blind tasting. Awards are then dolled out but it’s more about the bragging rights and the fun and challenge of it all.
The team I have been part of has had some fairly decent success. Highlights for me would be winning multiple grand championships in Canada and the USA, winning an invitation the the Jack Daniels International BBQ Championship in Lynchburg,  cooking for the US Ambassador and a few thousand of his closest friends for a 4th of July party at the US Embassy but most of all….showing my kids that meat comes from animals, veggies are grown in the ground and there’s more than just ketchup that belongs on a burger.

I love to eat. That’s my inspiration for sure. My other inspiration is the people around me.  I think with anyone who enjoys cooking the best part is watching others try your stuff. I love sharing what I cook and feeding as many people as I can something that maybe they have never had before.

With having a wife and 2 young boys I’m a pretty busy guy. But never too busy to throw something in the smoker for a friend or bbq something up and spend some time with family.

MD

Welcome!

Well….

Here is something I never in a million years thought I would do; create a blog.  I mean really, who could possibly be that interested in reading what I have to say or to be honest; how could I possibly think anything I have to say could be that interesting?!

This blog exists as it is now because of one specific reason.  I have been asked multiple times over the last few years for recipes, tips, tricks, advise, etc. on all things food, cooking and bbq.

So, I am going to en-devour to log all things creative, new, interesting and whimsical here on this page for all to see.  If you come here once or come here a million times that will be up to you.

What I hope is that this is a page to share what my friends and family have enjoyed and how I went about creating those items.

With all that said….welcome!

Look around and who knows what you might find!

MD